Porous composition of matter and method of manufacture



Patented Dec. 16, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Kenneth S. Ruthman and Joseph R. Parsons, Chicago, 111., assignors to United States Gypsum Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois No Drawing. Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 586,044

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to materials containing wer rnigratable substances and particularly relates to composition which a substantial movement of ygter dispersible materials during dryi'ng gives deleterious resmt's rms invention also relates to the production of extremely lightweight materials.

In the manufacture of products in which a water dispersible material is used there has fre quently been encountered a movement of such materials towards the outer surfaces during drying, particularly when the drying operation is accelerated by the use of high temperatures and forced circulation of air, the usual commercial practice. A few of the many products in which this difficulty of migration of wterborne materials during drying is experienced are those '"fbrmd from gypsum and other molded products cast from porous or foamed compositions. For example; when water s'oluble binders such as lextri ne are added to calcined gyPSln and formed into a cast with water and then dried, the dextrine will have been-Qfound to collect near the surface of the dried cast: While in some cases this may be wanted yetin many other cementitious products such a migration is highly undesirable. In the manufacture of lightweight acoustical material, such as those made using fiber, it is customary to use water dispersible binders such as *emulsified drying oils and water soluble re retarding: materials like boric acid. 'Greatdifliculty is encountered with bleeding or migration of these materials to the surface. This means that additional material must be used to compensate for this loss with a consequent increase in density and cost and also in many cases, an unsightly appearance results.

By following this invention, as will be subsequently clearly disclosed, it is possible to limit this migration very materially, or prevent it completely thereby giving a substantial improvement in the properties of the product so formed. Another advantage of this invention is that a very lightweight insulating product, hitherto unobtainable, can be made. It is the purpose therefore of this invention to disclose products which are extremely low in density and/or in which water soluble materials contained therein have very little or no tendency to migrate'towards thea material h. allrssx attha enerapi tliaglsl and/6r as.

water soluble or dispersible substancesin place mnuwwfvrawrwawwm Wa m,

'"Iiil'lhiifition takes advantage of the fact that certain materials thicken very greatly in aqueous solution in very low concentration when heated, to form a gel-like mass. This gel-like mass until destroyed by the drying operation maintains the strength of the lightweight product and/or stops migration of the water soluble materials. It has been discovered that the most satisfactory 33a terial to form a gel-like masswhen heated is "a solution B'F'fx'ie Ly ce u use, HenceIthroughout-. all the or com ng examp es given to illustrate means by which this invention can be carried out, methyl cellulose will be used as the active material. The examples are merely illustrative of means by which this invention can be carried out and are not intended to be a limitation of its'scope for various equivalent materials maybe used and still be within the ambit of the invention.

Exmta 1 Prevention of migration in a cast cementitious material Parts 1% solution in water of methyl cellulose 100 .1% fiuorescin dye solution 1 calcined gypsuri'f'as hemihydrate 100 and substantially the same freedom from niiEration will be experienced.

EXAMPLE 2 Prevention of migration in lightweight products made using foam and cellulose fiber Parts .75% solution in water of methyl cellulose 1000 Soap bark 30 Cellulose fiber such as dry ground paper 200 Boric a 30 The methyl cellulose solution, soap bark and boric acid are added to a. suitable mixer and The dry fiber is dispersed into the foam 4 further mixing. A mat is made and the mat compressed while wet to the desired density. It

is then t 250. F. The fire retardant boric acid will be foun su stantially uniformly dis- Examme;

3 tributecl throughout the lightweight mass instead of concentrated at the surface as would normally be experienced. Other water s olubl e materials in a similar manner'wl'llalso be trapped and prevented from migrating.

EXAMPLE 3 Prevention of collapse in a foamed cementit'ious material prior to set Parts 1 ."l5% solution in water of methyl cellulose..- 1 E Calcined gypsum, hemihydrate 1 Foaming agent I'D-"3 .02

The foaming agent can be thl sodium salt of a k half sulfuric acid ester of a fatty'alcohol'such as FTLXG v U su s ance A conta n n 0 so um a yl sul- Tale in which the all? l group Has 15 to II carbon ato'ms, m"os'tly IE, or Elle sodium salt of a smma hydrocarbon such as suEstance 3" contalfing 35% somum alkyl sum 9. yl'group con runs 0 car on atoms. e Ioa'ming agent is placed r tlle methyl cellulose solution and then ifoamed such as by beating with a revolving w re w if The dry calcined mass formed into the shape desired. The temperature is then elevated to about l3 F v or above but below the temperature whic will prevent the setting of the calcined gypsum until the cast has set. fig a l drying of the cast can then be made. No appreciable change in dimensions will be experienced before the plaster has set. The object so formed can then be dried.

Exunrn 4 Prevention of migration and structural collapse in a low density fibrous material A A foam solution is made as follows:

3 Parts 1% solution in water methyl cellulose 350 Vinyl chloride resin emulsion (50% solids)" 40 oi) Ground dry sulfite fiber---..' 40 j 6 if Foaming agent such as substance A 4 The various ingredients, except the fi ber, are

cellulose. v has hithertofor notben obtainable and in spite of its extraordinary low density is still comparatively strong and will not disintegrate in water. It is more resilient and tougher than even denser products and surprisingly resistant to failure under great deformation.

Exmrn: 5

Prevention of structural collapse in a learn all of whose co tstitgenl s gre initially sdluble i i 3% solution in water of methyl cellulose parts-.. 400

Melamine formaldehyde resin do 100 Foaming agent such as substance A do 4 Sulfuric acid solution to a pH parts between 4 and 5 The melamine-formaldehyde resin can be any of the water soluble type which can be hardened by an acid catalyst without heat. The various materials are mixed together and the solution so formed is foamgd in a suitable mixer'ffidilld and dried at elevated temperatures. The drying is somewhat critical and care must be used to have the proper air temperature and velocity. A temperature owpjj and a velocity of 1500 ft. per min. for the drying gases have been found satisfactory for the above. These should be adjusted to the density. A lower density will require a faster drying condition. The dried product is an insoluble, low density, cellular mass. A maty as low as g. l b. per cu. ft. can be obtained.

EXAMPLE 6 Prevention of densification of ggueogs suspension of asbestos fibers during drying Parts 1% methyl cellulose solution- $5 500 5K asbestos fibers "El..." 20

gypsum is then added to the foam and the porous with vinyl resin. The I esin obscures the methyl This extremely lightweight mat erial 0 upon the presence of soluble salts.

The above are mixed together and dried at 250? E, The tendency of the asbestos fiber to form a dense mass is overcome and a comparatively light fibrous product is obtained.

In all of the above examples all percentages and parts are by weight. In these examples it is proposed to use 4000 c s, (centipoises) methyl cellulose i. e., 0mm 5% aqueous solution is approximately 4000 centipoises at 20 C. Though this material has given very good results, it is not the intention to limit this application to such a particular grade of methyl cellulose for others of greater or lesser viscosity may be used with varying results. If the viscosity is lower, then the concentration must be increased in order to obtain a gel when heated. If the methyl cellulose is of the lower viscosity type t en e "concentration mus e ncrease n order to obtain a gel when heated. The important thing is that a gel must form during drying at the elevated temperature and that the minimum quantity of methyl cellulose should be used in order to minimize its tendency to cause the product containing it to disintegrate when placed in water. Also, the amount used should be reduced to as small a quantity as possible; in some cases it tends to inhibit the film in the case of rubber latex and vinyl chloride resin latices. en ony a sma quan y s nee e e inder ordinarily used seems to obscure the deleterious property of methyl cellulose 55 of contributing to disintegration of the product in water.

The gelation temperature of aqueous methyl cellulose o u ions epends'fipon the concentration and upon the viscosity of the type used and Ordinarily, the greater the concentration of methyl cellulose and the higher its natural viscosity the lower the temperature of gelation. Without interferences from soluble salts the gelation temperature 65 of a .5% solution of 1500 or 4000 centipoises and meth l cellulose mm between E5 E6 g lf (centipoises) methyl cellulose is used about o concen a on W e nee e to give gelation. In this case the gelation temperature will be between $47 to 151 F. If the concentration of the solut on or e scosity of the methyl cellulose are too low no gel will form; only a precipitate will take place. Soluble salts tend to lower the gelation temperature. It is the negative ion of the salt and its con- 60 forming properties of thelinders used such as "11,;

. centration which appears to afiect the gelation such as h es, sulfates. tartrates, acetates, chlorides etc.

The meth l cellulose solution is preferably prepared by taking one half or less of the final des,;9l d a s pg 5, or aslce. and as the temperature becomefieeiew about 90 F. the methyl cellulose will slowly go into uniform solution. Other means of effecting a solution of the methyl cellulose in water can be used if desired. In order to be sure that a gel will form when heated it is desirable to have at least about 375% of the weight of the water that is actually present during drying as methyl cellulose. Thus water of crystallization or water of h dratio of fiber can 5 deducted in" figuring the amountof methyl cellulose needed. This percentage is based upon a methyl cellulose having 4000 centipoises viscosity. The percentage of methyl cellulose needed to form a gel varies with the viscosity. The lesserthe viscosity the hitherthe rcmtae nee? In an events, it is important that a gel be formed when the material is heated; If a substantially lower percentage is used a precipitate and not a gel will form. In certain composition a. gel may form with as low as .5% concentration but in order to be safe a .'75% solution of 4000 centipoises methyl cellulose, based on the water present during drying, is needed. One of the remarkable phases of this discovcry, and one which contributes to its commercial utility is the fact that only a small percentage of the methyl cellulose is needed to be effective. It is important in all cases that the gel be formed in situ which is interpreted to mean the formation of" a gel of the methyl cellulose which is in solution with the remaining free water within the roduct itself during the dryi'ng'operation or when heated before drying.

While methyl cellulose, such as one having a viscosity rating of 4000 centipoises, is the material of choice; any similar water dis rsable material which will el or reatl tfickenwhen heated at similar concentration w ll be satis' factory and can be considered an equivalent. The gelling must not be due to a mere drying out of the material but to an actual thickening which should take place without any decrease in the amount of water present. The phenomenon of an a ueous meth l cellulose solution of gelling or th ckening when ea e a es p ac ataround 136 F. as mentioned above so that it isiiecessafy't'e heat to at least this temperature in order to obtain the results disclosed in this invention though of course much higher temperatures can be used and are preferred. The highest temperature feasible with the materials to be dried will usually be found most desirable. The methyl cellulose is not intended to be used as a binder but for the purpose of preventing collapse or migration during drylisides the examples given there are obviously many other uses in which this invention may be more than the ordinary skill of the art in which this invention is a part.

While in the above examples, soap bark, s ub tance A and substance B are g ven as types of ioami'ng agents which can be used, his not inour, go on a? er p ants no c assl ed as wood.

specifically but to any lgaming agent except of course those which will render the methyl cellulose ineffective. Examples of other suitable foaming agents are all sapcnin containin materials such as, sea weed, ucca Fo'ot, pure sapgnig, etc" but it has been foun a an uneconomic concentration is required when used with methyl cellulose. This is also true of de raded roteins which are commonly used as foaming agenE. Besides the materials given as examples of foam producing materials following Example 3, other materials which can be used with methyl cellulose to produce foam are octadecyl trimethyl ammonium hloride and dodecy ami ace a e. *amples of foaml'fig mare rials which do not work are the sodium and gtassium salts of fatty acids. These foam satis ac on y u n l e gelati'on of the methyl cellulose thereby materially reducing its effectiveness. On the other hand, y p esuma y a ring rying the m monia is volatilize e itis firt erred to foamseparatel it can be enerateg in situ suchmlifi by the t odififi 'carbonate and reac mam? sodium acid sulfate along with a suitable gas entrainer suc as escribe'd above.

Various types of fibrous and cementitious materials as well as various'types of s tesman be used. Examples of fibers are asbes se s the ic,

organic and mineral ers rom rasses an a r materials such as ground mica can also be advantageously bonded together following the principle a special type of 0 cl um E rate, see Patent Number 1c ed gypsum as Welles those classified as m land We or the like. The binders can e of the drying-k type.

scr e will be suitable aswfllas bther water soluble dyes and fire retarding material except um-s icate. ese equiva ent materials may re- (1, quire a variation in the formulas given which, however, will not be beyond the mere mechanical ability of those skilled in the art in which this is a part.

By way of summary this invention comprises the use of a water soluble or dispersible material, preferably a neth yl'fiflliildsEf'hfihWiScosity, which will thickenj'whefl'h'eated, to substantially a gel-like material, thereby stabilizing a porous lightweight mass so that it will not collapse during drying, hence enabling a much lighter weight insulating material to be made with gg mthou t 'er' or which will substantially completely stop e migration of water dispersible materials during the drying operation thereby preventing bleeding to the surface. It is also a part of this invention to use a small quantity of methyl cellulose tended fto liiiiif this invention to such materials so that the other binders used are sufllcient to Examme F 7 overcome the disadvantage of methyl cellulose in contributing to the disintegration of the product when wet.

Although there has been disclosed a practical embodiment of this invention and specific examples, theories, and uses, which are given to insure a clear understanding of the essence of this invention, it is not the intention to be limited thereby for obviously many variations may be made by those skilled in the art and still be within the -scope of this invention which is only limited in extent by the forthcoming claims.

We claim:

1. A porous, fibrous, cementitious composition of low density comprising a set cementitious material selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate and Portland cement, a fibrous material, and a dry methyl cellulose foam gel, said methyl cellulose present in a lesser concentration than the cementitious material.

2. The method of preparing a dried, porous composition of matter which method comprises forming a foamed, aqueous solution containing dissolved therein at least 0.5% of a water soluble methyl cellulose and a foaming agent, said solution being heat gelable at a temperature of at least about 136 F., and hardening the foam solution by drying at between about 136 F. and about 250 F'., whereby collapse of the cellular structure .is avoided.

3. The method according to claim 2 in which said solution contains ligno-cellulosic fibers dispersed therein. I

8 4. The method of preparing a dried. porous composition of matter which method comprises forming a foamed, aqueous solution containing dissolved therein at least 0.5% of a water soluble methyl cellulose and a foaming agent, said solution being heat gelable at a temperature of at REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this -patent:

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